


Caved

by riot3672



Series: Reylo [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Caves, Eventual Smut, F/M, Huddling For Warmth, Injury, Making Out, Naked Cuddling, Natural Disasters, Oral Sex, Post-Canon, Sex In A Cave, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, let's assume there will be major TFA spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:39:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5471654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riot3672/pseuds/riot3672
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While engaged in yet another battle, Rey and Kylo are suddenly subjected to a natural disaster that leaves Kylo injured and both of them hopelessly out of the way of quick rescue. As they stick it out waiting for help, they take refuge in a cave. Under the firelight, they confront their pasts, regrets, and a slowly growing attraction between the two of them.</p><p>(Set sometime after TFA)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AvengingKnight21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengingKnight21/gifts).



_The Force doesn’t control you, not in that way_ , Luke had always said, _it paints the backdrop where you make your decisions._ For so long, Rey hadn’t understood what he meant. She’d dejectedly filed it under philosophical lines Luke told in such frequency there was no way to understand it all. But now, looking around, she thought she just might understand it.

Her second battle with Kylo Ren, and they were in a snow-covered forest. It couldn’t be coincidence.

Rey had begun this fight underestimating him. He didn’t speak, not even the utterances of mentorship he’d offered during the last fight. But, he said it all in his blows, in the way he so cooly protected his mind, unlike the slipping, unstable control he’d had as they fought the first time. 

She blocked a blow, adjusting her footing in the ice. In the darkness, it was near impossibly to distinguish the white ice from the black, and not even proper boots were helping her. She was becoming increasingly aware of how tired she was growing. She was meant to be the distraction, to ward Ren off as Finn and Poe did their magic on a small First Order base.

She gave another parry as Ren swiped at her. Her heart caught in her throat as she barely missed a side-swipe from those damn handles on his lightsaber. Luke had given her the control she needed for this fight, but what she’d do if he’d had more specific tips for Ren’s lightsaber. 

Rey swiped at Ren, and he blocked her with ease. She grit her teeth, landed a harder blow—

Black ice.

She lost her footing, slid back, feet from the edge of a cliff. Reflexes she should’ve abandoned long ago caused her to reach out. Ren shot out of her grip, and lost his footing along with hers. In the moment of helplessness, his lightsaber got too close. She jumped back, fell hard to the cold ground. Ren seemed to be going down with her, but used a blast of the Force to regain just enough footing to be stretched one knee bent over her. 

He moved his lightsaber for a solid blow while she was down, but she was faster. She kicked him as hard as she could in the face, effectively dislodging his mask and launching it into the abyss beyond them. Rey watched as the cold shock hit Ren’s face, palms to the snow. She jumped back to her feet and shoved the tip of her lightsaber under Ren’s chin. 

Then, the ground started to shake.

Between the jolt and the ice, both she and Ren went flying right over along with his mask. She couldn’t tell who grabbed onto whom in the panic, only that they held together as their bodies battered against the icy ridges, chunks exploding as their bodies hit. She lost her lightsaber, and couldn’t even remember if Ren had his still in his hands when they fell. 

Ren’s body cushioned the final fall into the gorge floor. There was no delay in the ache, but Rey could sit up and peel herself off Ren within seconds. Her chest loosened as she spotted the blue of her lightsaber. She half-crawled, half-ran for it, hoping—no, knowing—that Ren was in no position to stand up. 

She snatched the weapon and wheeled around to face Ren. 

He was still in the same position on the floor, clutching an arm, blood running down his face, nothing but a whimper filling the stillness between them. She put her lightsaber away, suddenly aware of a hum coming from somewhere else.

Slowly, she moved over to Ren, anxiety building back up in her chest. It didn’t make sense. Shouldn’t, rather. Not for him.

She stood over him, and she could see it, the tattered clothing, the singed skin, the smell wafting from burned flesh. So, he had taken his lightsaber with him. Just didn’t turn it off in time.

What would happen if she left him there? Even if the gorge kept out the windchill, it was still freezing where they were. His wounds would do him in without proper care. 

_The Force paints the backdrop_. Was this what Luke meant? Had the Force caused that shake, ended her fight for her?

She looked down at Ren. He’d passed out.

The answer was obvious.

She tucked his lightsaber into her belt and grabbed him by his shoes. With all the clothing, he was just as heavy as she’d expected, but she trudged through. 

Luckily, there was a cave nearby. Nothing huge, but it would shelter them from the cold long enough for her to try to call for help through the Force. 

She set Ren down a fair distance inside the cave and took a seat to catch her breath. Even if she could contact someone, she should prepare for the worst. They needed a fire, she kept a small supply of water with her, and she had to patch up Ren’s wounds. Nothing she hadn’t done a million times before back in Jakku. 

Rey collected some sticks and lit them with the tip of her lightsaber. As she rubbed her hands together for semblance of warmth, she eyed Ren’s several layers of clothing with envy. 

She sighed and moved over to Ren. He was breathing fine, but still unconscious, his black hair tangled in his face. She considered moving his hair out of his face, but left it, moving to the important bits. She removed his right glove and rolled up the sleeve. From the way he was cradling his arm, it wasn’t clear if it was his hand or his side that had been bothering him the most.

His hand was black and blue, a few of the fingers far stiffer than others. His wrist had the same bruises. She moved to his side. Even with the tattered clothing, she rolled up his shirt to get the best view in the firelight. He was well built, with a fair number of scars, nothing unusual for a warrior. She tried not to think about it. 

The burn looked pretty bad, and she feared it was worse than she thought. She pulled out the container of water. Would it even help? 

She measured out enough to fill the palm of her hand and dripped it onto the wound.

His muscles twitched, and all at once, he attempted a full force choke. She countered effortlessly.

“Not now,” Rey said dryly as she waited for Ren’s attack to subside.

He stopped with a wince and a grab for his side with his good hand.

“How’d I…?”

He sat up with enough mind to not do it fast.

Rey crossed her arms. “Fell off a cliff and landed on your hand and lightsaber. I was going to bandage your hand, but if you’d rather do it yourself…”

Ren scanned the room, then settled his gaze on his hand. Some of his fingers twitched, but the stiff ones did nothing. He kept his expression soft, but she did see the tiniest crease in between his brows. 

She waited until Ren would make eye contact with her before making an attempt to grab some of his tattered shirt for bandage material. He watched her, but did nothing to protest. 

“If you’re going to call me anything—”

“Ben?”

Ren scowled, made another attempt with the force. Again, blocked.

He took several hard breaths before muttering, “Kylo.”

Rey glanced outside. It was still snowing hard, absolutely no visibility. “Kylo.”

He looked away. “Ben Solo is dead. Now, I’m sure, even my own mother believes it. You're wasting your breath.”

She glanced outside, at his hand as she tied the bandage. “I’m not sure I’m the only one.” Kylo looked up at her. She glanced down. “We’re stuck here, at best, until this storm stops.”

There was a long silence before Kylo…smiled. It was just for a second, but it was definitely a smile.

“Perfect.”

It wasn't malicious or sly, but it sent a shiver down Rey’s spine.

 


	2. Chapter 2

For what felt like a while, neither of them spoke. Rey was pretty sure that a stubborn man like Kylo could make his way to his feet if he really wanted to, but seemed content to lie in the place Rey had left him. In fact, Rey would catch glances of him between feeding the fire and trying to communicate through the Force, and he literally laid there doing nothing but staring at a spot on the cave wall. The temptation to peek into his mind was strong, but she held herself back.If he wanted to just lie there, she’d let him. Even if there was a tugging feeling in the back of her mind that she was supposed to be more active. That she’d saved his life, and neither one of them were acknowledging that. It made her a little angry, but it also made her more curious to read him. What was so engrossing in his head that he block every bit of what was going on around him?

That, and she was getting colder by the second, even with the fire. She was vaguely aware of a growing hunger, and knew she couldn’t sate it with her water. There were no rocks nor the strength to make a makeshift door to keep the cold out. 

Eventually, the best even she could manage was lying on the cave floor by the fire, running her fingers over the hilt of Luke’s lightsaber, leaving her mind enough to actively meditate. She focused on the lightsaber, but it didn’t keep her teeth from chattering, body from shivering. 

She couldn't keep the ruse up for long before she was tucking her legs into her chest. _C’mon, Finn and Poe. In a ship, it shouldn’t take that long to find us_. And where were Kylo’s First Order lackeys? They should _definitely_ be organized enough to find them. Luke should—

Rey jumped a little as she was suddenly draped in an cloak of some kind. She looked up, slowly, to find Kylo on his knees, pushing himself back up to his feet. She tightened the cloak around herself and watched him as he walked back to his dark corner of the cave.

Again, they said nothing as they held eye contact. Rey could make up the dialogue in her head, though. _You looked cold and I’m not a total monster. And look, watch me walk. I’m not as broken as you think. — I never said you were. — But you’re thinking it. — I’m really not. — You are._

Kylo didn’t break eye contact, even as he dropped back to a sitting position. 

There wasn’t a moment’s delay before he’d cried out in pain, good hand whipping to his side, the sound tapering off into a whine. Rey broke into a smile; so much for him being fine.

“You can come by the fire,” Rey said, stirring the sticks. “Especially without your cloak. I won’t hurt you.”

For a moment, Rey expected Kylo to roll his eyes at her suggestion and turn away from her. But, he sat up, eyed the fire, and slowly crawled and winced his way over to the fire.

Once she could see him, she felt like she could offer him the bare minimum. 

“Thanks,” she said, clutching the cloak tighter.

He glanced up at her, then back at the fire. “You saved my life. I wasn’t going to sit there and let you freeze.”

Luke would’ve told her to nod and accept his kindness. But, the part of her that still went to bed watching him kill his own father and slaughter all those Jedi-in-training couldn’t do it.

“How considerate of you.”

He exhaled. “I don’t think you really hate me as much as give off. Right now, you don’t even seem to be trying.” He paused. “Go ahead, say it. Say you hate me. Uncle Luke always said it was the first step to joining the Dark Side.”

Just the way he said Uncle Luke made her stomach turn. How could he still call the sweet and wise man his uncle after he’d caused him and Leia so much agony? How could someone hold onto this path so tightly, even when it was so clear that even he hardly believed it?

She glanced up at him.

Even if he was better at hiding it now.

“He wanted to help you. He loved you. How could that—?”

“You can train all you want, but no amount of cosmic knowledge will ever explain what I had to do to you. Arguing with me won’t change that. I did what I had to do.”

His eyes were on the ground, straining, it seemed. 

“In what world did you _have_ to kill him? I’d understand pushing him aside and not taking the peace offer. Fine. But killing him? What—?”

“It’s the way of the Sith. Unlike the Jedi, you’re free to love, and you do love. You love unrelentingly, until it becomes your weakness. Then, it’s your duty to eliminate it. I was destroying myself. I had to choose.”

“Then why didn’t you choose the light? You said you loved him. You can’t just pretend that love fades because you want it to.”

He scowled. “You think I could’ve chosen the light in that moment? I lost my chance with the light the moment Snoke had me. I did what he said, I—You don’t just turn away from that. You really think that the thoughts that put me to the Dark Side in the first place could just be erased if I had followed him? With him, I’d be stagnant, I’d be the failure, the one everyone has to watch. I have potential with the Dark Side. I have a future that could actually be stable. Going with him that would’ve been no better than—I had to.”

“You’re weak—”

“I know.”

“—You chose to keep running from…”

What had he just said?

She closed her mouth, looked up to Kylo.

He wasn’t scowling anymore, but he still looked so unhappy. 

“I know I’m weak. You don’t think I…” He shook his head. “Forget it. Just forget about it. Thank you for saving me but we’re gaining nothing by talking.”

Kylo went back to lying down, his gaze now settled on the fire as the embers crackled. She settled her gaze on the fire as well.

Was Kylo weak? Grandson of Anakin Skywalker, son of Leia Organa and Han Solo. A child of legends. She could replay the story Luke had told her of Kylo’s descent, but what did it mean to him? It must take something powerful to be seduced by the Dark Side. Anakin had been seduced through love. But Luke had never mentioned a lover in Kylo’s story. There had been no one but the son, Leia, Han, and Luke. 

She stole a glance at Kylo, at his unruly hair, his…all things considering, average face. Not overly heroic, not terrifying. His clothing, the way that, up close, she could see the uneven stitches. His put-together lightsaber that seemed ready to combust at any moment. If she’d met him carrying that lightsaber, she would’ve never guessed that he was strong in the Force or any legend’s relative.

And maybe that was the point.

 


	3. Chapter 3

She watched as the fire turned to embers, and got up to grab some more wood. Her limbs ached as she stood up, and it occurred to her that she might have injuries she hadn’t accounted for. It was getting colder, too, even with Kylo’s cloak. She didn’t know quite how to tell Kylo, or what it would mean if she did voice it.

But, the fact was, the fire wasn't doing it anymore. If they were going to stay alive long enough to get even incrementally close to accomplishing either of their longtime goals, they had to survive the night. 

“We’re gonna have to share body heat if we have any chance of surviving,” Rey said.

Kylo looked up from the dying embers, said nothing, but crawled his way over to her.

She had him remove his gloves, and to eliminate the inevitable bickering over which position to be in, Rey simply laid out Kylo’s cloak, scooted over to him, and wrapped the cloak around them both.

For a moment, they laid their like two sticks, not in any way what they should be doing. 

“C’mon,” she said, as much for her as him. “It’s alright.”

To her surprise, Kylo made the next move. He wrapped his arms around her, brought her so close her ear lay against his chest. She’d almost forgotten how tall he was, and felt a little bad not being able to encompass him with warmth the way he could do to her. They intertwined their legs, and inaction filled the cave once again.

Lying there in Kylo’s arms, it occurred to Rey that she hadn’t been this close with anyone in, well, a while. Not since hazy memories of as a child. She and Finn would hug, give each other pats and playful slaps and hold hands when the moment came, but she’d never cuddled with him. Being this close to another human being—a human being that she’d hardly ever considered human—was surreal. She could feel the shape of his hands against her back, feel his muscles ripple under her as he breathed, hear his steady heartbeat in her ears. 

He was fidgety, his good hand constantly changing position on her back, fist clenched to fingers splayed to curled and back to together again. Sometimes, she swore it felt like he was caressing her with a single finger, drawing circles against her shirt. She wasn't at a good angle to see his face, but she knew exactly where he was, staring off parallel to her.

She never thought humanity could be so much on her mind just from a little physical contact. 

“You’re not weak,” she suddenly said, through no prompting of her own.  Her words tumbled through the cavern. Silence followed.  “A bit unstable maybe, but not weak.”

Still, nothing.

Why on earth had she said that? Even if she meant it, this was not the time.

She rose and fell with his chest as he took a deep breath. 

“Uncle Luke never got past basic training with you,” he said, finally.

She furrowed her brow, tried her best to look at him. He wasn’t as brooding as before, his face seemingly relaxed. “What do you mean?”

“If you really want to keep warm in these kinds of temperatures, you’re supposed to huddle naked.”

Something sparked in her, giving her organs a good twist that didn’t necessarily feel bad afterwards. She swallowed.

“It works?” she asked.

“It works.”

Her brain felt hazy, and despite every pocket of nerves and doubt, she found herself undressing without the need to chant a mantra of “it’s for survival” in her head.

“All the way?” she asked.

“You can leave your underwear on.”

It would be best.

Some of the anxiety did lift when she felt the fabric of Kylo’s underwear still between them as they connected again. And, he was right. The heat transfer between them without the barrier of clothing was significantly better. He was more muscular than she’d originally imagined, but also seemed to have less scars across his body’s topography than she’d originally thought. Purer, she supposed. Less worn.

She noticed how without the barrier of a shirt, Kylo kept his hands lower, more toward her waist than her upper back. It seemed almost…shy. 

“Did you have friends when you were little?” Rey asked.

There had to be some neutral topic they could talk about. There was no way they were going to sit here in silence nearly naked.

“I had friends, but never for long. People always seemed to disappoint, bore me, get bored of me. They were never very dramatic ends, though.” She could feel his gaze on her. “Did you?”

Rey sighed. “I don’t remember much before my family and I were separated. Never after. I had to focus on survival, and everyone else did the same. There was no room for friendship when portions were at stake. I tried it once, working with someone else. An orphan, headstrong, knew what she was doing, but in the end, she was only interested in helping herself. Stole from me. I decided it wasn’t worth it. After that…Finn and Han were the first friends I think I ever had.” She stopped, felt the way he stiffened mentioning the name. She knew she shouldn’t, but she felt a little guilty over it. “Any love?”

There was a long pause, and Kylo relaxed again. “Not love. Women, yes. A couple, when I was training. I was young, unfocused. It’s been a while, but it’s incredible how it all just comes back to you.”

Rey furrowed her brow. “You love someone now?”

“Not love. Something else.”

She couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stand him staring at her without being able to see him. She scooted up until she was eye level with him. 

He was staring at her lips. He was staring at her lips, and it was electrifying. There…wasn’t any desire to look away, no disgust, no…no nothing she should feel. 

She couldn’t remember who closed the gap. Only how surprisingly soft his lips felt, how exhilarating it was to connect with him. He kissed her hard, his hand suddenly resting on the nape of her neck.

Rey pulled herself closer to Kylo, slammed their hammering hearts together. Kylo swiped his tongue between her lips, and all the signals rushed back to her. She cracked open her mouth, just enough to make Kylo nudge his way in. 

She couldn’t quite describe how he kissed. He didn’t overwhelm her the way the few former lovers she’d had, but he didn’t tease either. His tongue circled, ran over her teeth, broke free to run his tongue over her lips. She felt the bubbling anticipation as his top and bottom teeth hovered between her lower lip. 

“Do you like this?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.

“Yes,” she whispered back. She tightened her grip around him, moved a hand into his hair. It was so much softer than she’d ever would have guessed. “Don’t stop.”

He dipped back in, kissing her lips one lip at a time before slowly, achingly biting down on her lower lip. She moaned softly.

“Mmm, just wait,” he muttered.

His lips left hers to press against the skin under chin. She shivered, tightened her grip on his hair. He kissed her throat, and she couldn’t even pretend to hold back her pleasure. Whimpering, eyes closed, she let Kylo trail down her neck, let him press every button he could find.

He kissed her collarbone, the top of the wrap she still wore. He stopped there, looked up at her. She didn’t know why she couldn’t find the words, only the sense to undo it, let the fabric join the jumble of clothing stuffed around them.

“Your friends ever include lovers?” he asked.

He kissed each breast, used his good hand to caress the soft skin, circled a nipple until it was hard.

She inhaled as he hit a sensitive spot. “Close, but no.”

“If you’re worried, it doesn’t have to hurt.” He kissed between her breasts. “Just gotta give the girl plenty of time and attention.”

Rey smiled. “I thought you said you’d only had a few lovers.”

“Never said I was bad with them.”

He kissed her down a line from her breasts to just above her underwear. Even giving Kylo control, she helped him pull her underwear down. The moment his lips touched the skin below her navel, she gasped, bucked against him. For the first time in hours, in recent memory, it was getting hot. She curled her body deeper into their blanket, and Kylo opened her back up. 

They shifted under his cloak, that soft hair resting on one thigh while his good hand pulled her legs apart. 

It wasn’t like Rey was new to pleasure itself, but that first kiss on her lips shot through her core to fingertips. She sighed, and she could feel his own growl of pleasure reverberate off her skin. 

“Keep this position, okay?” he said as he took his hand off her leg.

She did as he said, only broke it a little to bend her knees, keep as much heat to herself as possible. 

“You’re not in pain?” she found herself mumbling through the bursts of pleasure.

“Lying on my good side. It’s numb,” he replied.

His finger slid along the slick he’d created until he was lifting her hood. Her stomach clenched. 

He ran his tongue along the skin around her clit, and she had him. She bucked, back arched, moaned desperate for more. 

Then, his lips were on her clit. He sucked, and it was like the world fell away. She didn’t have a name, he didn’t, they weren’t anywhere, and it was as if nothing was happening to her at all. All that mattered was how damn good it felt. How she could imagine herself doing anything to keep Kylo doing what he was doing.

She knit her fingers into his hair as he worked. She closed her eyes as she felt the muscles start to wind up. She’d forgotten how good this bliss felt. The tighter she wound up, the tighter she gripped his hair. Tighter, tighter, tighter until she exploded, cried out and tugged at Kylo. 

He gave a grunt and a chuckle. “You just can’t resist hurting me, can you?”

She exhaled deeply and unraveled her fingers from his hair. As the pulses faded away, she swore she could lie there forever.

“Relaxed?” he asked. Suddenly, he was back at eye level, smiling a bit with his eyes. He pecked her on the lips. “You still a little cold?”

She was suddenly aware of his erection poking against her belly. “Yeah.”

She ran a hand through his hair, fixed what she’d messed up. “You ready?”

Her stomach fluttered. “Yeah.”

“Turn around.” He took her hand. “I’m right here.”

She only turned around after pushing his underwear to their growing pile. 

Even without being able to see his face, he was closer to her now than ever. She could feel his hair brush against her neck, his breath on her cheek. 

He took a deep breath, and she took one with him. Her heart wasn’t beat furiously, but she could feel it speeding up.

He entered her slowly, slower than she’d always imagined it. Part of her wanted to tell him to just get in and get it over with, but there was something kind of soothing about his pace. It wasn’t an obvious step to the throws of passion, but was nice. He didn’t let go of her hand.

She shut her eyes again, especially as he started to thrust faster. 

Kylo didn’t speak. He kissed her back, her neck, her cheek, but didn’t speak. She sighed, put her second hand around Kylo’s. 

There was something subtle about the way Kylo expressed his pleasure, and Rey was pleased to say she picked up on it right away. He trembled as he moved, changed paces every once in a while, pressed himself closer to her even when it didn’t aid what he was doing. 

“See if this helps,” Kylo murmured.

He shifted, and when he thrust, he hit something Rey hadn’t even realized was there. She gasped, gripped his hand tighter. 

She turned to kiss him, and he thrusted harder.

Their breathing grew ragged together, sweaty, hot, and vulnerable in each other’s arms. He grimaced as he pulled out before either of them were done, but it gave her enough time to turn and face him as he came. He closed his eyes and seemed to almost grimace as the ecstasy took him. 

He relaxed into her when he finished, and she couldn’t help but smile a little as he tossed a handkerchief of some sort out of their wrap and pulled her into him. 

She thought she should say something, even if it was as dumb as “thank you.” 

Instead, she ran her hand through his hair and nuzzled into him until she’d fallen asleep.

#

Rey woke up before Kylo. It was growing light outside, but Rey guessed that it hadn’t been all that long. For a moment, she watched Kylo sleep, watched his chest rise and fall, watched the little pockets of cold as he breathed.

She shook him a little to wake him, and he managed to not automatically attack her.

“C’mon, I can feel something. You need help with your clothes.”

Rey helped Kylo, and he didn’t protest.

“Perfect timing,” Rey commented as they watched a figure approach the cave.

It was the silver-plated Stormtrooper captain.

“Sir?” she said.

Rey helped Kylo to his feet, but he walked over to her. Kylo motioned Rey over.

“I’ll—” Rey said.

“At least wait outside of this canyon.”

Kylo’s mercenary led them to her ship, and she watched in her few minutes aboard as a Stormtrooper tended to Kylo’s wounds and updated him about the base. He didn’t seem concerned, and she only listened long enough to hear that Finn and Poe were okay.

They spotted Finn and Poe jogging together on the ground, clearly still on the search, BB-8 several hundred yards ahead.

Kylo ordered the ship down, and Rey took her exit. 

She never expected her heart to pang as hard as it did as she looked to Kylo. He wasn’t smiling, but there wasn’t anger in his eyes. He seemed…calm.

His good hand loosened, then tightened again.

“Thank you,” Rey said.

“Thank you,” Kylo echoed.

Rey stepped outside the ship, the door closed, and Rey watched the ship until it disappeared. She didn’t even hear Finn, BB-8, and Poe approaching.

She supposed the Force had painted the backdrop for her decisions. If only she could tell Luke.


End file.
